


This is Life with Derek

by PrincessaKyla



Category: Life with Derek
Genre: Future Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 05:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2495417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessaKyla/pseuds/PrincessaKyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia Venturi is in for the surprise of her life on her parents 25th anniversary, accompanied by some insight into their tumultuous relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Surprise and Some Insight

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Life With Derek (we'd all be in trouble if I did, let me tell you) but I wish I did, and Amelia is totally mine. I tried really hard to keep Casey and Derek in character, or at least how I think they would be at almost-50, but I don't know how well I did. Definitely feel Casey is closer than Derek.

“Der-EK!!” Mom screamed. I sighed. It was going to be a long day if she was already yelling at -- I glanced at my alarm clock -- eight am. With a groan, I rolled out of bed and fished around for the tv remote, hoping to get the tv on and the volume up before the early morning back and forth got started. I wasn’t quite fast enough, though.  
“Casey!!” Dad replied, his voice reaching me through the window I had left cracked overnight.  
“What is this?” Mom demanded. I heard a squeaky whimper and went silent. That couldn’t be what it sounded like.  
“A puppy,” Dad said in his “Duh” voice, the one he only used when he was being truly affectionate and didn’t want it to be obvious.  
“Obviously. But why was the puppy in my laundry hamper?”  
I gulped. There had better be a good reason for this one….  
“It’s….It’s an anniversary present,” Dad grumbled. He hated being any sort of romantic or sappy or emotional, which is why, every year on their anniversary, he spent the day avoiding Mom and hiding presents for her all over the house, and trying to put off getting ready to go out to dinner until the last minute.  
Mom was suspiciously silent and when Dad muttered, “Come here, keener,” in the gruffest voice, my suspicions were confirmed. Mom was crying or on the verge of crying and Dad was trying to not get worked up because she was worked up. I’m sure if I poked my head out the window right then and looked down at them in the driveway, he’d be a goner.  
“How -- what-- why-- Derek,” Mom said incoherently.  
“You’ve wanted a puppy for the longest,” I thought I heard Dad say. “And now that Ame’s older, I figured, why not?”  
I sighed. For twenty-eight years, Mom and Dad had fought about getting a dog. From the moment they became a serious couple, with an apartment and jobs, Mom had begged and pleaded to be allowed a fluffy friend. Dad, for his part, wanted to get his running around done before there were any kids or pets tying them down to one place. When they got married, they apparently made a deal to get a dog after ten years, assuming they could stay together that long, which, apparently, everyone but Dad doubted. A year later, when Dad stopped playing professional hockey because it was getting in the way of his moviemaking, he and Mom renegotiated with the help of Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Edwin, saying they would get a dog for their fifth anniversary if there were no kids involved yet. They were nearing that deadline when Mom discovered that she was pregnant with my older brother, Charles, and his twin sister Catherine. So the dog was pushed back by five years on the condition that there were no infants in the house. That was when I arrived, and now, fifteen years later, for their big, quarter of a century wedding anniversary, when I’m sure Mom was expecting anything but, Dad bought her a dog.  
I sighed and flopped back on my bed. The quiet murmurs of their conversation drifted up and through my window with the breeze and I relaxed, contemplating going back to sleep so I was well rested in preparation for what was sure to be a long day of them yelling each others’ names across the house.

A few hours later, I stumbled my way downstairs, hair piled messily on top of my head as I made my way to the kitchen for some cereal. “Hey kiddo,” Dad said cheerily as I slouched my way over to the coffee pot. I had work later and I was nowhere near well rested.  
I gave him a look I’d inherited from Mom, the one eyebrow raised, “What are you up to?” look, as I poured myself some coffee.  
“What?” he asked, his mouth full of cereal. He was far from a professional hockey player anymore, but he still ate like one and he went to every match Charles ever played, as well as training with him when he had time. He also worked out everyday for like an hour, which meant he hadn’t had to change his eating habits….yet. I had to hold back a snort as I thought about the hell that would be.  
“You bought Mom a dog,” I said instead of mentioning his somewhat disgusting dietary habits. “She’d given up on ever getting one until you were dead, you know.”  
He snorted. “Yeah. I know. She told me.”  
I felt my jaw drop. “She didn’t!”  
“I did,” Mom said breezily, coming into the kitchen. “Being open and honest is what’s kept us together so long.”  
“That and not being able to live without each other,” Dad tacked on.  
I giggled. “Stop it you two, you’re so embarrassing with your overly affectionate mushiness!” I teased. Dad glared and Mom looked confused for a second before deciding it was nothing.  
“Amelia, I need you to make sure you get me all of the information on that trip to Europe,” Mom said as she moved about the kitchen, straightening up what Dad and I had made a mess of.  
“Mom, I did. It’s sitting on your desk, blue folder,” I said as I dug through the cabinet for my cereal. Within seconds, however, I realized that Dad was, in fact, eating the last of my cocoa pops. I glared and he grinned a shit-eaters grin back. “That just mean I’ll eat your cheerios Dad.”  
He swallowed hard and nodded appreciatively. “Touche.”  
“Amelia, what you gave me doesn’t have all of the information,” Mom said, her tone changing to one of motherly impatience.  
“Well Mom that’s all they gave us.”  
“Then you need to talk to the trip directors and get the rest of the information. I can’t let you go without knowing everything.”  
I sighed and looked to Dad, giving him the most wide-eyed pleading look I had ever delivered. “You’re on your own here, kiddo. I have to get going soon. We have auditions for the new movie today. Which reminds me…” He looked to Mom. “You put the word out in your classes that we need choreographers and dancers right?”  
“Of course I did, Derek,” Mom said exasperatedly. “Have I yet to say I will do something and then not do it?”  
“Well...no. But still. My producers wanted me to double check. Standard procedure. Which, by the way, also apparently means no visitors on set this time.”  
Mom and I stopped what we were doing. “No visitors?” Mom asked quietly, her tone deadly.  
I gulped and shifted away, starting to edge my way out of the room before she blew her top.  
“No visitors,” Dad repeated sadly.  
Mom clenched her fists, her face turning pink with frustration. “No visitors. No visitors! Why the hell can’t you have visitors?! Are they worried you’re going to not do your job or something? What did you do?!” As I made it out of the room, I heard the clatter of the silverware drawer opening and Dad begging Mom to just slow down and let him explain, that these producers made that rule with every movie they worked on, and that so far it had only ever lasted a few weeks, mostly with movies being filmed away from Toronto. I heard plasticware hitting the wall, and then Mom was crying and Dad was hushing her, murmuring that he loved her and he would try to get the rule changed so that she could visit while he was away shooting in New York. I shuddered. There was no way I could put up with her crying.  
Safely ensconced in my room, I contemplated calling Aunt Lizzie to ask if Mom and Dad had always been this temperamental a couple. I would have considered calling Aunt Marti but she was unreachable in the middle of the ocean, and Grandma was out because she was busy with plans for the surprise party she and Grandpa were throwing for Mom and Dad’s anniversary. Of course, it wasn’t a surprise for Dad, who had caught me trying to sneak out the door to Grandma’s car to go help her plan.  
Deciding I had nothing to lose, I grabbed my cell from the nightstand and dialed Aunt Lizzie, hoping she wasn’t at some sort of protest today. “Hello?” she answered, sounding slightly distracted.  
“Hi Aunt Lizzie. Is this a bad time?”  
“Not at all,” she said as I heard something crash. “Boys!!” she shouted, her voice muffled as she put her hand over the receiver. “I swear to god if that was the vase of flowers your father just got me, there will be hell to pay!” With a sigh, she said, “So what’s up Ames?”  
I groaned. “Mom and Dad are being, well, Mom and Dad.”  
Aunt Lizzie laughed. “Ahh, gotcha. What did he do this year?”  
“He bought her a puppy and hid it in her laundry hamper. And then he revealed that the producers of this upcoming film have this rule about no visitors on set. Mom flipped her lid and started screaming and throwing things before breaking down sobbing.”  
“Yikes,” Lizzie muttered. “Well, I mean, your mom is at that age where her hormones start to fluctuate again, and I do remember this being how she gets when she’s….”  
“When she’s what?” I asked, curiously.  
“When she’s pregnant, but I’m sure that can’t be what it is. Your mom’s forty-nine. And last I checked, she’d had her tubes tied after you came along. But basically, this is how she gets any time her hormones fluctuate a lot.”  
I sat there for a second, contemplating. “Okay, so that explains Mom. But what about Dad? And, I mean, they haven’t always been like this surely.”  
Lizzie snorted. “Oh please. Do you know how many times your uncle and I negotiated deals for them in high school and how many times they pranked each other, or did harm in one form or another? Your grandparents were at their wits end half the time, trying to figure out how to keep them from killing each other. We were all sure they hated each other. In fact, when they admitted being a couple, your grandparents didn’t believe it, and laughed until they realized it wasn’t a prank.”  
“Oh wow,” I said quietly. “That bad huh?”  
“You have no idea,” Lizzie replied with a chuckle. “Oh! By the way, Edwin wants to know if your dad is still in agreement with bringing your mom to our house tonight.”  
“He hasn’t told me otherwise,” I said. “Why? Did he say something to Uncle Ed?”  
“I honestly don’t know,” Lizzie replied, ruefully. “Do you really think my husband tells me anything?”  
I laughed. “Well, --” There was a knock on my door. “One second. Who is it?”  
“It’s us Ames,” Dad said.  
“Just a second!” I cleared my throat. “I gotta go Aunt Lizzie. Thanks for the insight!”  
“You’re welcome, kiddo. Say hi to your parents for me.”  
“Will do!” With that, I hung up and called out a come in to my parents.  
The door opened kind of slowly and the first thing I noticed was Mom’s face. It was an expression I’d never seen before but it vaguely reminded me of the look Charles and Cordelia had described during the tale of finding out I was on the way. My stomach dropped. “Yes?”  
“First, we wanna apologize for making your morning kind of rough,” Dad said, scratching his head remorsefully.  
“And second, we’ve got some news for you,” Mom said, her voice slightly hoarse. “I’m pregnant.”


	2. A Discussion of Love Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More on that pregnancy announcement, we find out the plans for the surprise party, and we meet Charles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Life With Derek, but I am having fun messing with the characters and building up these kids I've created.

I stared in shock. “You’re kidding right?”  
“Ah, but if only,” Dad said, crossing the room and flopping down on my bed. “I told you we should have taken the bullets out of the gun, Case.”  
“Ew! Dad!” I protested. “I do not need to know that. And I definitely did not need proof that you guys have been...doing it.” I shuddered  
Mom laughed. “Told you. You owe me twenty bucks.”  
My eyes went wide. “You guys bet on what my reaction would be?”  
Dad nodded and blew out a breathe. “Well, your face is worth the money.”  
I glared. “Whatever. So when is the little bundle of joy due?”  
“Ohhh….sometime next never.” Mom was dying of laughter and I threw a throw pillow at her, hitting her in the face with excellent aim honed by many years of catch with Dad.  
“You guys suck,” I said, doing my best not to smile. They’d gotten me good.  
“Oh come on, kiddo,” Dad said. “Admit it. It’s funny.” His fingers crept closer and before I could get away, he was tickling me like I was five again. I laughed uproariously and I caught sight of Mom from the corner of my eye, smiling as she watched us.  
“I surrender! I admit it was funny! Uncle!!” I screamed through my laughter.  
Dad gave one last, good tickle and released me. “Don’t tell anyone else. We wanna see what they say. You want in on the reaction bets?”  
“Do you have to ask?” I reached for my wallet. “What are the odds so far?”

I spent the day babysitting for the neighbors who, despite the occasional paparazzi prescence, often had me watch their two kids on weekends when they had plans and on weeknights when they had to work late. Mallory and Clark, seven year old twins, were rambunctious but I often corralled them with crafts, or story time when I allowed them to dress up and act out the story as I told it.  
I came home after watching them worn out but happy. They’d had fun and I’d earned enough money to pay up to Mom and Dad if I lost the bet. With a chuckle, I stashed it in my secret place, the one Dad didn’t know about and Mom knew better than to disturb. As I turned from covering the stash, I noticed the time and squeaked. Charles would be around to get me in only a few minutes. Mom thought he was taking me to dinner and a movie and then dropping me at Grandma’s for the night while she and Dad spent their customary evening at a hotel. In reality, he was coming to get me to take me to Grandma’s so I could help set up the party and get myself ready. Dad wasn’t supposed to have Mom there until seven and if Charles got here on time, we’d get to Grandma’s around five assuming traffic was kind.  
Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa had moved to Toronto after Aunt Marti graduated high school, when Grandpa took a job with a larger law firm where he could advance to being a partner in the firm much quicker than his firm in London, despite the time he had spent with them. Otherwise, we would be having this party at Aunt Lizzie’s, where her boys had wrecked absolute havoc their entire lives. Granted, I left havoc in my wake as well, but my mom had always walked behind me with cleaning supplies, even when I wasn’t being a terror. It was the Venturi genes I guess. She had been just as close behind my older brother and sister, but as the youngest I’d gotten the brunt of it.  
As I contemplated what to wear, I heard a honk from the driveway and poked my head out the window. “Just a second. I’m almost done!” I called out.  
“C’mon, munchkin! We’re gonna be late to dinner!” Charles responded laughingly. I flipped him the bird real fast and then rushed back to grab my dress for the evening, double checking to make sure I had all the needed toiletries and clothing items for the party and for spending the night at my grandmother’s.  
Making a mad dash for the door, I was hoping I was going to outrun my parents but no such luck. Dad stepped in front of me as I made it into the entry hall, causing me to skid to a stop. “Uh-oh,” I muttered.  
“Uh huh. I wanna make sure I’m clear on the plans for tonight. You’re about to leave with your brother to go to your grandparents’ and get ready. At 6:45, when your mother is guaranteed to be ready, you’re going to call her and ask her to bring you your phone charger, which you’ve left on the bed. We’ll get to Dad and Nora’s place by seven at which point you will all surprise her with the party. Correct?”  
I nodded. “Yep. Just make sure you don’t tip her off somehow, okay? Now I really gotta go!”  
He grinned and stepped out of my way but left his hand on the door handle. “Uh uh uhh. Not so fast. What do you say, Princess?”  
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “My father, Derek Venturi, is the master, no King, of lies, and I am forever grateful for his aid in my scheme and I will owe him until eternity or such a time as he calls in the favor, whichever comes later.” After I finished reciting, I whined, “Can I go now, Daddy? Pleeeease?”  
He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. “That is so not fair,” he muttered, opening the door for me. “I will never forgive your mother for teaching you that.”  
“She didn’t teach it to me Dad,” I said happily, dropping a kiss on his cheek as I made my way past him. “It’s a natural weapon girls have against their fathers.”  
“Your sister doesn’t,” he grumbled.  
“Delia just chooses not to use it Dad.”  
With a wave, I climbed into Charles car. Charles, for his bit, waved at Dad and hollered, “You sap!” as he pulled out of the driveway. I thought Dad was going to throw one of the flower pots at the car but he didn’t, opting instead to bang a fist on the wall by the door. I laughed nervously.  
“Dude, he’s had a rough day.”  
Charles snorted. “So? The man sets himself up for it. And admit it, you love to make him miserable, too. It’s a Venturi thing. We make each other miserable to show that we love each other.”  
I grinned. “Ooooooh. Someone’s sappy. Is there a new giiiirlfriend? Or maybe, gasp, a new boyfriend?” He blushed and I crowed with laughter. “You’ve got a new boyfriend! Let me guess...Is it that boy from school, the one you would not shut up about last time you were home?”  
He blushed harder and I grinned. “It is isn’t it? What’s his name, John? Jacob? Joshua?”  
He cleared his throat. “His name’s Jake, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell Mom and Dad just yet. I wanna see if it’s gonna last long enough to bring him home for Christmas.”  
I grinned. “You know they don’t care that you’re bi, as long as you’re happy.”  
“I know. That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried that if they know, they’ll put all this pressure on me to bring him home for Christmas when I’m not sure if we’ll be in a position to do that. His mom’s really sick, and he wants to see if she gets better before he makes holiday plans besides simply going home. Plus, if we make it to break, we’ll only have been dating for a few months, not really long enough to deal with the whole “Come spend a holiday with my crazy family!” y’know?” He smiled gently. “I mean, you and Cordelia are fine, and Grandma and Grandpa are okay, and even Aunt Marti to some extent, but Mom and Dad and Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Edwin and their boys…. No. Just, no. I love you all but that’s a bit much to throw at someone before you’ve even been together six months.”  
I giggled. “You’re bringing him home. I can already tell. If not for Christmas then for New Year’s. How far away does his mom live?”  
He squirmed as we rolled to a stop at the stop light. “Like….twenty minutes from home,” he admitted. “I offered to drive him home for the weekend but he had a giant paper to write and his mom wasn’t expecting him, so he stayed. Not that I mind. It’s good to have some time apart. Anyway, enough about me. What about your love life?”  
I shrugged. “I’ve been on a date or two. Nothing’s stuck for more than a hockey game and a movie or dinner or a coffee date. It’s like, everything goes well up until the actual date and then it’s just sort of….blah. It’s fun but nothing special, nothing to hold onto. Sometimes the guy will ask me for another date but I usually just politely turn him down. Mom says that’s part of highschool and Aunt Lizzie says to just be patient. But it’s really hard. I’d like to have someone special I can rely on to go to dances or games with me, someone who will keep me from being the third or fifth wheel. And not just a friend, because I have plenty of those but a lot of them pair off, either with other people in the group or with others.”  
“Oh believe me. Soon, you’ll find someone special and you’ll wonder why you ever worried about it.” Charles grinned then. “And there’s always Veronica….”  
I glared. “Veronica was a one time only deal. No matter how we felt about each other, we agreed that once we called it quits that was it. We said that if something happened that brought us back together later in life then maybe we’d give it another go, but she’s four hours away and seeing someone else.” With a sigh, I leaned my forehead against the window. “And she’s really happy with him,” I said, very quiet.  
“Hey,” Charles said softly. He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze, running his thumb over the top of my hand. “I’m sorry I bummed you out. It was just supposed to be a joke, and it was pretty insensitive. Forgive me?”  
I nodded. “Yeah. I forgive you.” I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.  
With a glance at the dash clock, he offered, “Ice cream?”  
I laughed. “How old do you think I am?”  
He shrugged. “Eleven, twelve? Some age that can be cheered up with ice cream with all the fixings?”  
I laughed harder, my laughter covering up the nasty little waiver of tears threatening to spill over my eyelids. “I guess I’m still an age where ice cream makes it hurt less.”  
“Good. Because…” He pulled the car into the ice cream parlor lot. “I told Grandma we’d be picking up the ice cream for the party and told her you’d probably have a sundae because I know how much you love ice cream and I can never say no to you.”  
I grinned devilishly. “You and Dad are suckers for the puppy dog face.”  
“Nah, we’re just suckers for you and Mom. Come on, goofball. Let’s go get ice cream.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh come on! You didn't /really/ think Casey was pregnant did you? It was waaaaaaay too obvious to be true.


End file.
